4. Hot Pursuit
Mayim took a sip of the tea she'd been offered. Brewed over the hearth in the small, humble home of the aging woman who'd taken her in, it was a little bitter and had an odd tang to it, but it was warm and refreshing. For a woman like Mayim, who'd been all over the globe -- tasted all kinds of teas -- it was nothing to complain about. Just another to add to the list.
She was glad for the hospitality. She knew it wasn't every day in a place like Doi Pui Village that an international agent came knocking on your door, and to this local's credit, she hadn't seemed fazed in the slightest. She'd simply welcomed Mayim inside, put a pot on the fire, and told her everything she knew about the mysterious foreign woman who'd shown up on the mountainside not long ago.
"That was the strangest thing. Well, besides how she dressed. She refused all my hospitality. No meal; no rest; not even a cup of tea." The woman shrugged with a laugh. "She seemed in an awful hurry."
The Incursions Department agent leaned forward on her chair, listening intently. "Did she say why?" Mayim's Thai was rusty, but she was getting by. "Anything in particular that might give a clue where she's headed now?"
"She was trying to get to Chiang Mai. Likelier than not, only to get transportation elsewhere. America was what she said, if I remember it right -- nothing more specific than that. The poor girl didn't look like she had any money. I'm not even sure if she had a plan at all. She looked as tense as a cornered animal." A pause, and a sip of tea. "I did feel bad for her. She was a sweet girl. Just lost. I hope she's okay right now."
Mayim nodded. "In a way, that's what I'm trying to ensure. That, and that she isn't causing any trouble."
"I don't see how she could," the woman said. "I can't imagine her hurting anyone... except perhaps herself. Bull-headed would be an understatement."
Internally, Mayim noted everything. For what little this poor woman seemed to know, she'd actually filled in a lot of blanks that Mayim, or the Department at large, hadn't been able to figure out yet. Their target was female. Young and pretty, apparently. Not a great trait to pair with magical irresistibility, if Director Girard had been right about that... yet, in this local's mind, the target hadn't seemed at all nefarious or even mischievous. Just lost. And in a hurry. Not very well prepared, either.
In a lot of ways, a weight lifted off Agent Mayim Karabakov's shoulders; a fear of facing some terrible, all-powerful sorceress or monster had been nagging at her ever since she'd left Geneva. But new questions were quickly rolling in to replace the old ones. If this woman wasn't dangerous, what was she doing here? Was she in danger? Was she a refugee? And if so, from where, and why? When you worked for the Department, you learned quickly that the real threats often lurked behind what seemed to be benign events. A refugee, for instance, meant a world in trouble. Trouble that could spill over to Earth.
She would have to move on to learn more.
"One last question." Mayim set down her tea and looked intently at the older Thai woman. "Forgive me for it. But did you find this woman... seductive? Feel any attraction for her at all?" It was a necessary question, and one that would help her gauge the effects of the target's magic. But it was still a very awkward one to ask. She felt her face flush and hoped it didn't show too much.
"Goodness, no!" Her hostess laughed. "I wouldn't have dreamed of that. I've been a widow for a decade now, but I still have my dear husband's memory to keep me company. Besides, I'm much too old for any thoughts about anyone half my age... if that."
"Understood. Thank you." Another mental note; perhaps this target wasn't as irresistibly attractive as Girard thought. At least, not to everyone. "That's all. I'll be on my way."
"Not going to finish your tea?"
"I'm on a tight clock, ma'am. But again -- thank you."
The agent was out the door and gone like a shot, leaving the older woman to shrug and shake her head. "Foreigners," she muttered to herself. "There's just not a single one out there who appreciates a good cup of tea."
***
Kjelle had already been in one airport today. A string of trials, mishaps, misunderstandings, and woe had led up to boarding the plane. She'd had to ask for help from the locals several times over, and even then, it had taken her an embarrassingly long time to figure out the right gates, terminals, and procedures. But she'd ended up on that flight. Sat through several uncomfortable hours in the sky. Now she was here; in another human country, another airport, for something called a layover. Because apparently, unlike the hyperspace cruisers of the High Cosmos, these human vehicles had to take breaks in between their journeys. Goddesses forbid anything be direct or efficient here.
And now, to make it worse, some inclement weather had delayed her next flight indefinitely.
"Ugh," Kjelle groaned, fidgeting in the airport terminal's seat. She'd been here for hours. She'd already asked around and figured out where to go for a meal, and taken recommendations for what might be good to eat here. If nothing else, no one had been unfriendly to her. Since arriving on Earth, despite all of Earth's strangeness, she'd yet to meet someone who was anything but gracious, generous, and helpful. Was it because she was pretty? Because she was a woman? Or did humans just like to be kind to strangers? She couldn't be sure.
But she was sure that she was sick of this damn terminal.
It wasn't so unlike a hyperspace station or portal hub, she supposed. The same kind of waiting around, the same kind of crowds, the same kind of food courts and shopping stalls. Only everything here was unfamiliar and strange. The clothing, the architecture, the language. She could understand the latter, at least, but even through her universal translator, it still all felt odd to her ears and eyes. The longer she spent here, the less she felt like she had any business here.
Especially after Pim.
"Forget about her," Kjelle told herself aloud as she got up to pace around the terminal for the dozenth time. But forgetting wasn't so easily done. By now, Pim had certainly woken up and discovered that her new 'friend' had vanished. And that she'd been robbed. Pim must have been wondering why she'd been stupid enough to extend her trust and generosity -- more than that, her intimacy -- to a lying, thieving, scheming bitch like Kjelle, who hadn't told her more than a few breadcrumbs of truth before taking what she could and leaving.
Kjelle had thought getting on the plane would help her refocus on the mission. It hadn't. Now, stuck in this airport, it was worse. She'd made a mistake with Pim. Or had Pim made a mistake with her? Wasn't that a better way to put it?
What a fucking ruinous mess she was. A planet where everybody was kind and accepting of her, maybe to a fault... and she went around abusing that by being a thief, a liar, and a fuck-and-run floozy.
She sighed. "I'm a terrible person." The words slipped out of her mouth without thought. She'd said them too loudly -- and her translator had rendered them in perfect Japanese. A few heads turned to look at her. Blushing hard, she just shook her head and hurried off, out of the terminal, down the hallways. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she wanted to be anywhere but here.
The airport was a big place. Earth was a big place. Or maybe both just felt big because Kjelle couldn't portal-jump; because the locals here had no faster way of getting around their one little globe than these blasted airplanes. When you could just zip over to where you wanted to be, all the solar systems, universal clusters, and parallel dimensions of the High Cosmos felt like they were at your fingertips. But here, even a trip across one piddly sea felt like a journey. One walk back through the food court made her feet sore. Or maybe they were just still sore from last night on the mountain road.
"It'd be a wonder," she mumbled to herself, "if that man with Nymphadottir's elixir isn't halfway done conquering this whole shitty world by now."
Kjelle paused. A small bar, open to the concourse, caught her eye. Not for the bottles behind the counter or drinks on the menu, but for the woman sliding off one stool and turning to leave. Turning to head right past Kjelle. The black hair, shorter stature, and innocent eyes made Kjelle think of Pim -- and that thought made her heart ache. But no; this girl wasn't her. She was dressed a lot more professionally, by whatever Earth standard constituted that. A cream-colored jacket with a dark skirt. And she was pretty. Really pretty.
"Don't you fucking dare," Kjelle told herself, knowing how her mind betrayed her. "Your stupid, horny ass already ruined one poor girl's life on this planet. You don't need to make it two."
But the girl was walking her way. And she reminded Kjelle of Pim. And maybe the way you got over one bad decision was to make another. And, after all, for some Goddess-damned reason, just about anybody on this planet seemed to go along with what she wanted from them. Why not take advantage of that? Why not do something to take her mind off the guilt? Just for a little while?
They met eyes.
Minutes later, they were in an unoccupied ladies' powder room down a secluded hall. Kjelle's back was pressed against the mirror as the woman kissed her. No talking. No names. Hands went to work, exploring bodies. Kjelle's fingers found their way into the woman's jacket and under her blouse, touching soft skin. She kissed her back, tongue and lips hungry.
They moved to a large stall at the end of the row, mostly for fear of someone coming in. Kjelle's hand slipped lower, under that dark skirt, cupping the woman's mound. She was wet. So was Kjelle. An equally eager hand was soon exploring under her jeans. They were all over each other, kissing and touching, feeling and tasting. In perfect sync, they speared one another on their fingers. The woman's were long and slender, and curled inside Kjelle just right. Kjelle's knew what to do, too. Pim had certainly liked it last night. Pim would like this now, if she were here now. Pim would...
Kjelle's orgasm hit her hard and fast. It was a good one, too. Her toes curled, her spine tingled, and her free hand tightened on the woman's hip. She could feel the stranger shuddering against her, too. They didn't kiss; didn't even look one another in the eyes. They just rode out the bliss together, until the last waves passed and they were both left gasping, slumped against one another in the bathroom stall.
